October 30, 2014

There is no evidence that tough enforcement of the drug laws on personal possession leads to lower levels of drug use, according to the government’s first evidence-based study. Examining international drug laws, the groundbreaking Home Office document published brings to an end 40 years of almost unbroken official political rhetoric that only harsher penalties can tackle the problem caused by the likes of heroin, cocaine or cannabis. Full story >>

VOCABULARYSomething which is punitive is intended as punishment. • There are calls for more punitive measures against people who drink and drive.

October 29, 2014

For the first few years of its existence, The English Blog mostly featured sites which were useful for learning English. Many of these have now disappeared, but one that is still going strong is Better at English.

Better at English is devoted to helping non-native speakers improve their English. On this site you’ll find podcasts (with transcripts!), tips, and advice that can help you improve your English in as little as two minutes per day. The site is run by Lori Linstruth, who is American but works as a corporate language instructor, editor, and translator in southern Sweden.

As an avid podcast listener myself, I've always thought that podcasts are one of the best ways of improving your English, especially as you can listen to them while doing something else (the dishes, walking, jogging, riding on the bus, driving your car, etc.) You can find a list of the best ELL podcasts in the sidebar on the left.

This is one of a series of colourful images illustrating idioms from different countries. Each one has been translated literally into English and its meaning explained. You can find the others here, along with some interesting cultural observations (thanks to James, from hotelclub.com).

BACKGROUNDDavid Cameron is bracing himself for a bruising showdown with Brussels after he hardened his stance in a £1.7bn budget row with the EU as the European commission threatened to retaliate by placing Britain’s multibillion pound EU budget rebate on the table. As Britain appeared to lose a key ally in its battle with the EU, with the Netherlands suggesting that it would meet the demand on it for an extra payment, the prime minister insisted that Britain would not pay the full £1.7bn demanded by the commission. Full story >>

CARTOONThe cartoon by Chappatte from The International New York Times shows David Cameron (and his dog) looking out of the window of his official London residence 10 Downing Street. A policeman is standing guard outside and a Union Jack flag is fluttering above the door. On the floor, lies a doormat resembling the flag of Europe with the letters EU on it.

EXPLANATIONIn informal English a doormat is someone who allows other people to treat them badly and does not complain, so that can't be what the cartoonist had in mind since it's the EU which is bullying Cameron. I think that Cameron has put the EU doormat there expecting people to wipe their feet on it (you can see the dirt marks), which is his way of getting his own back on the EU. Other interpretations are possible!

Thousands of illegal immigrants camped out in Calais hoping to reach the UK are "prepared to die", the mayor of the French town has said. The 51-year-old told the Home Affairs Select Committee that some 2,500 illegal immigrants are in the town, with many willing to risk their lives to reach the UK. She said: "You have a much more favourable regime in Britain than in other European countries". She described the benefits migrants receive in the UK as the "real magnet" for those hoping to illegally cross over to Britain. Full story >>

VOCABULARYA magnet is someone or something that attracts and interests many people very strongly. • The town has now become a real tourist magnet.

This two-minute video features some of the 50,000 new words which have been added to the latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary (read my review here). How many of the words do you know? You can find some definitions here and here. You can look the rest up in the online version of the Collins Dictionary.

TEACHING IDEACall My Bluff is a popular British TV game show that goes back to the 1960s. Two teams of three celebrity contestants take it in turn to provide three definitions of an obscure word, only one of which is correct. The other team then has to guess which is the correct definition, the other two being "bluffs". This would work very well as a classroom activity with more advanced learners using the new words from the Collins Dictionary. Give each team with one or more of these cardswith a 'new word'. Then get the teams to come up with two 'fake' definitions for each word, and you're ready to play the game. See here for a more detailed lesson plan, and here to watch a complete episode of Call My Bluff from 2004.

BACKGROUNDThe European Union warned Britain on Monday it would put the country's cherished EU budget rebate at risk if it tried to change the rules in response to a surprise 2.1 billion-euro (1.65 billion-pound) bill from Brussels. British Prime Minister David Cameron responded angrily last week to an EU calculation, based on British statistics showing that the country was wealthier than previously thought, that London owed more money to the EU budget. Cameron, who is under political pressure from Eurosceptics at home, said he would refuse to pay the bill by the Dec. 1 deadline set by Brussels. Read more >>

THE CARTOONThe cartoon by Adams from the Daily Telegraph shows David Cameron carrying a sackload of banknotes which he then pours into an EU 'black hole'.

EXPLANATIONThe cartoonist plays on two meanings of the word 'pound': the unit of money and the unit of weight. If someone sheds pounds, they lose a lot of weight (and David Cameron could certainly lose a bit). But there's also the idea of losing the billions of pounds (sterling) which Britain is being asked to pay towards the EU budget.

VOCABULARY1. A pound is a unit for measuring weight, used in several countries including the US and the UK, containing 16 ounces and equal to 0.454 kilograms. Its written abbreviation is lb. • The baby weighed over 10 pounds.2. If you shed something, you get rid of it because it is not wanted or is no longer necessary. • He is keen to shed his 'bad-boy' image. • The company shed a further 250 jobs this month. • You need to shed a few pounds.

In your typical plane, there's the aisle seat, the middle seat and the window seat — the one with the best view, in my opinion. But what if pretty much everywhere you looked acted like a window? That's the aim behind this project from the Centre for Process Innovation in the United Kingdom. Check it out.

Bullying Brussels last night threatened savage financial penalties if Britain refuses to hand the EU an extra £ 1.7billion. Tens of millions of pounds in fines could be levied if the UK does not agree to the budget contribution. And Britain’s £ 3billion-a-year membership refund could be cut off if we do not obey. Defiant David Cameron told MPs yesterday that he would not pay “anything like” the £ 1.7billion being demanded by the European Commission – a demand he said had come “out of the blue”. Full story >>

VOCABULARYIf you fine someone, you them pay an amount of money as punishment for breaking the law. • She was fined £250 for speeding.

The answer is that the user experience is totally different. The online dictionary is basically just a tool, whereas a physical dictionary offers so much more. For anyone interested in the English language, nothing beats the pleasure of browsing a good print dictionary and discovering new words and meanings. As Mark Forsyth says in his introduction to the new Collins Dictionary, "This is the great trick, the great seduction of the dictionary. It lures you in with the promise of a quick, simple answer. But then, like a wily shopkeeper, it keeps offering you more and more." And there's plenty to discover, with over 50,000 newly added words and a total of 722,000 words, meanings and phrases.

Of course, such a comprehensive dictionary is not for everybody. Learners of English would be better off investing in a good learner's dictionary. But for teachers of English and language lovers, not to mention word gamers and puzzle lovers, the elegant new Collins English Dictionary will provide years of linguistic pleasure. And the good news is that you can save £15 on the RRP with this special launch offer.

The last UK base in Afghanistan, Camp Bastion, was on Sunday handed over to the control of Afghan security forces, ending British combat operations in the country. The move ends a UK engagement that has lasted for some 13 years and resulted, tragically, in more than 450 deaths. The departure of UK troops comes at a critical moment for the country on the political, security and economic fronts. In September, a potentially landmark power-sharing agreement was reached which created a ‘government of national unity’. Full story >>

CARTOONThe cartoon by Adams from the Daily Telegraph shows an army general pinning medals on soldiers who (we are meant to assume) have just come back from Afghanistan. The medals all have P45 written on them.

VOCABULARY1. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a P45 is the reference code of a form titled Details of employee leaving work. The term is used in British slang as a metonym for termination of employment. The equivalent slang term in the United States is pink slip.2. A hero's welcome (or heroes' welcome, if there's more than one hero) is a very enthusiastic reception from a group of people who show their admiration for something good that you have done. • The victorious Ashes cricket team arrived back in England to a heroes' welcome. • Amir was given a hero's welcome as he took his Olympic medal on a tour of home town Bolton.

EXPLANATIONThe cartoonist highlights what the Telegraph calls "the abiding paradox of the Afghan campaign":

As a result of the war and the sacrifices it has required, the standing of Britain’s military men and women has never been higher. Praise for those in uniform has become commonplace. Many of us show our support by wearing plastic wristbands and supporting charities such as Help For Heroes. Yet some of those who risked life and limb in Afghanistan were later sacked as the Armed Forces shed 30,000 posts. Others will soon find the rent on their Service accommodation rising by £30 a month, as their pay falls in real terms. Read more >>

The title of the cartoon, "Heroes' Welcome", is clearly meant to be ironic.

Thirteen European banks do not have enough cash to absorb a future financial crisis. This according to a stress test, published Sunday, reviewing the finances of 130 of the eurozone's largest banks. So what does it mean when 10 percent of eurozone banks fail a stress test? Let's look at some context. The test was conducted by the European Central Bank, which is poised to become the eurozone's single supervisor in November. The test was seen as a prelude to the bank's assumption of authority. The results provide insights as to how European banks may be supervised moving forward. Full transcript >>

This is a very short post from February 2005, which shows how different things were back then.

Despite extensive research (OK, Google), I've found hardly any blogs aimed at learners or teachers of English. My blogroll is looking pathetically empty, so if you know of any English blogs worthy of a link, please let me know. I'm wondering why there are so many EFL websites, and so few EFL blogs. Any ideas?

Well, the blogroll is no longer 'pathetically empty', but I do get the feeling that EFL blogging has passed its peak. A lot of the best EFL bloggers are no longer as active as they once were. Perhaps the rewards do not match the investment required over time. Oh, and I didn't get a single suggestion or idea ...